


Red Line

by tsuupra



Category: ChroNoiR, Nijisanji, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Slice of Life, i slide my hands together and make them think more than they should, ranges from character study to stupid conversations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29555865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsuupra/pseuds/tsuupra
Summary: Short unconnected oneshots focusing on Kanae and Kuzuha.(1)"You had a- this little-" Kanae points vaguely around the side of his neck, "ponytail a while ago, when we did idol work. It looked good on you!""Was it really that impressionable?" he asks, leveling him with a stare that clearly asked what he wanted now. "I mean, I guess… it's easier to dry my hair when it's short though."
Relationships: Kanae & Kuzuha (Nijisanji)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	Red Line

**Author's Note:**

> something really self indulgent for me to land my thoughts on.  
> present day + idol work

"Have you ever thought about letting your hair out?" 

Kanae smiled encouragingly at him. Kuzuha, suspicious, raises an eyebrow to let him continue. 

"You had a- this little-" Kanae points vaguely around the side of his neck, "ponytail a while ago, when we did idol work. It looked good on you!"

"Was it really that impressionable?" he asks, leveling him with a stare that clearly asked what he wanted now. "I mean, I guess… it's easier to dry my hair when it's short though." 

Kanae laughs softly at his reply. It was so fitting that he cut it because it took less time. "Ahh, I can't blame you," he nods sagely, putting a hand on his chin. He lowers his voice down a few octaves. "I, too, keep my hair as short as this for purely shower reasons. My hair right now? If I get it any longer, I’d die out of laziness.”

“Stop it,” Kuzuha scoffs, hiding back his laughter. “Obviously that’s not the only reason why. I just like it short this way. Long hair can only get braids and ponytails and stuff. What brought this up?”

“To be honest, I just felt like looking back at some photos one day and I realized you never really grew it out again," he explains. "It was pretty early, so I didn’t really pay much attention back then, but I've never had hair that long so I got curious."

Kuzuha looks at him in such open surprise that Kanae thinks maybe he should say something else. “I’m telling the truth that you looked nice with it.” He adds, unsure if he thought he had deeper intentions. “Not that you look bad now.”

"Ah- uhm, well, I had it longer, actually, before that," he admits, ignoring the compliment with an embarrassed mumble. He hums, contemplating back on his memories. Tone light, he continues, "It was probably about waist length? I'm not really sure."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Kanae inspected Kuzuha from head to toe silently. There was no way, was it? But there was no reason he was lying. He whined, "When was that?! How come this is the first time I've heard of this?!"

"Well, it was over a few hundred years ago," he said, slightly miffed by his interest but by no means stopping him. "I wanted a fresh start to something, and the hair was the easiest thing to change. I had it cut after that."

Kanae blinks in surprise, at the topic of something before his time. Kuzuha must be open today. "Really?" He says, trying to imagine whatever it could be. "I bet you looked stunning. Hair like that would've gotten a lot of attention."

He seemed to cringe at the last part of his sentence, making an expression that was rare to see from him. "Ergh, well, you're not wrong about the attention…" he muttered, but it wasn't intended to be hidden. Louder, he clarified, "I stood out wherever I walked. Back then, everyone at the time knew who I was, just by one look. Too many people stopped to talk to me at parties I didn't care for." 

"Parties?" he asks. Like, dancing? Kuzuha gives off the feeling that he would never step 50 feet close to dance parties alone - he can't imagine that changing much in a hundred years. He nods.

"...Yeah," he said. "I had to visit a lot when I was young. It was mostly publicity." 

... _Ah_ , he realizes. It wasn't casual parties he was referring to.

If Kuzuha notices his realization, he doesn’t comment on it, instead frowning in distaste as something comes to mind. He raises a hand as if he was going to run through his hair. "I don't think the hair was the only thing that got people's attention though, I guess."

Kanae thinks he's missing something, but he doesn't ask further. He goes pretty silent after that, which he doesn't mind - it's rather comfortable now at the way he's talking.

"I used to hate just the idea of having it long for a pretty long time," Kuzuha says after a few moments, exhaling. "It reminded me of some bad memories. Now though, I think I'd be okay with growing it out again. I liked wearing the clips with that ponytail."

Kanae stares at how easily he says it now, openly talking about the past in a way that was casual. Although Kuzuha fidgets him in front of him awkwardly, a weight looks like it lifted off of his chest and there’s a clarity in his eyes that Kanae can’t look away from. It makes him smile, to see him so open with it now, when normally he would never choose to open his mouth when it came to himself. Smiling, he thought to himself: maybe he could ask later if it was possible he kept any photos of himself. Those existed still back then, right? 

"What about you and a beard?" he offers.

It was mostly a joke, but he laughs all the same at the disgusted face Kuzuha makes.


End file.
